Spider-Man Spin-Off Venom Gets a 2018 Release Date

Before Sony’s Spider-Man franchise imploded following the less-than-stellar performance of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, there were plans to finally give Venom his due as one of Peter Parker’s most terrifying enemies, first in a solo movie and then as part of a Sinister Six villain team-up movie. Once Sony and Marvel made a “joint custody” agreement for Spider-Man, it was assumed that all previously-announced movies related to Spider-Man were on hold, if not cancelled, until the studios could gauge the reception of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not so, apparently.

Sony recently did some shuffling of its release slate and, surprise, surprise, Venom popped up on the October 5, 2018, date previously held by the studios’ Girl With the Dragon Tattoo reboot, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, which moved to October 19, 2018. The announcement coincided with Warner Bros. moving Aquaman from October 5, 2018, to December 18, 2018.

This seems like a strange move for Sony, in that Spider-Man: Homecoming is far from a sure thing. Yes, Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man was a hug hit in Captain America: Civil War, but that’s owed more to the character finally “coming home” to Marvel and interacting with Avengers than simply being on screen once again, particularly as the third iteration in ten years.

Perhaps Sony was blown away by the first draft of the Venom script turned in by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner or perhaps the studio simply saw an opportunity to snatch up a release date previously pegged for another superhero property and Venom fit the bill. We’re hoping it’s the former and not the latter, as a truly terrifying Venom movie could bring some much-needed horror elements to the superhero movie experience.